Haven’t received Grant Invitation yet and really need an update.

[Jason1350]

Hi I’m hoping someone can please advise why if I qualify for the grant I haven’t yet received the invitation? I understand the fine print states that this is being shared on a need basis but I’m most definitely in need. I’m very concerned because it’s the end of April and thought these were to be sent by now. If I am to have any chance of keeping my property until this situation is behind us the grant is most definitely a needed assist.

I feel foolish to have to state this as I would anticipate AirBnB knows the value I’ve offered throughout my tenure but maybe a reminder can assist, fingers crossed.

I’ve been impacted with over $15k in cancellations, am a Superhost and have been hosting since 2013. Additionally, I’ve brought 5 hosts into the community who have very rewarding properties. I always take the high road and try to provide feedback that makes the brand stronger and believe I’ve added significant value. 

I really don’t want to leave this community as I’m good at hosting, I enjoy AirBnB’ing, creating experiences for my guests and helping others get started. I’m up against a fence here and figure it’s worth a chance to post here and hopefully get some input or acknowledgment. 

@Lizzie I know it’s not your responsibility but if there is anything you can do or advise here, I’d be beyond grateful. I’m not sure where else to turn as waiting patiently for my invite hasn’t seemed to be working. Thank you! 

[Jude7]

Thank you @Stephanie  I appreciate the link. 

would you be so kind as to communicate that something this important should be sent out via email, as not every host regularly checks the community listings?

Truly appreciate your response to my question. 

Be well, 

Jude

[Stephanie]

Certainly @Jude7 ! Great suggestion.

[Jason1350]

The impact to Airbnb corporate and the many employees affected by the layoffs truly saddens me. It’s certainly a tough time for all and my thoughts and prayers are with you all. Regarding the grant initiative—I really needed this grant, I met all the requirements and am disappointed to never have received an invitation but more so by the lack of any clear validation that these allocated funds actually went somewhere.

I’m trying to stay positive and understanding to corporates responses but I have to say as a professional and dedicated Superhost for years I think the management and communication of these relief efforts to the community has been poor and really lacking the respect I have come to expect and believe we all deserve. I know there’s a lot of hate being thrown around in the CC and am a firm believer that won’t get us anywhere. So I’m just simply asking with the utmost respect @Airbnb  to please provide some clarity here? Are the relief grant funds liquidated? Clearly what we see / here in CC (a lack of confirmed grant awards) doesn’t reflect what was announced. Was there a change to this process? Any clarification would put a lot of minds at ease. Thank you for the consideration. 

[Jude7]

Thank you, @Jason1350 for being a calm voice of reason. I agree completely with your message and your tone. I, too, have met all the requirements - a Superhost every quarter since 2016, nearly fully booked from spring through fall, and have lost 100% of my reservations which are booked months in advance. Living in NY, it’s doubtful I will recover any of that. 

 Like you, I am disappointed by the lack of communication and transparency. I never expected Airbnb to bail me out, and felt it was my risk and my responsibility to figure out how to move forward. But when Airbnb made such a public promise of hope - and then nothing - I feel manipulated and let down. 

Airbnb would have done better in my eyes had they both said and done nothing, as I wasn’t expecting anything to be done.  The emotional impact they have left through empty promises and poor follow-through and lack of communication has been worse than any lack of funds. 

As an historically happy Superhost I have avoided the CC because of its oftentimes pervasive negativity. But in this case I have to agree that recent corporate actions have left me with disappointment and a lack of confidence in the actions of the management team. 

if these empty promises were meant to sweeten the image of Airbnb prior to a public offering, I think it backfired. Many people were damaged by the offering of false hope during an already stressful time. 

For a few weeks after Brian’s initial video broadcast I felt that perhaps we really were acting in partnership. But now I’m back to my prior understanding that Airbnb is merely a booking platform and I am on my own. 

[László3]

Thank you, @Jude7! 

You summarized by thoughts and feelings for me. Getting more and more disappointed each day. I'm close to feel that even no promise would have been better. At least then I would not have waited to rent my place for long term. So now not only the financial aid from airbnb is a possible non-exsiting thing, but the close to 2 months rent is a certain financial loss for me. 

[Karen2574]

I am a Superhost in Massachusetts, USA, hosting since 2014, and have the same concerns, detailed so clearly here by Jason. I love Airbnb, and appreciate greatly the company's existence and now their attempts to respond to this crisis. But, the feeling I am having is that they gave us superhosts hope with the offer of relief, and now I am seeing that so many of us are left behind. It must be very hard to calculate who is financially "in need". I definitely meet all of their criteria for the relief fund, but have not received an invite, now two days past their deadline of May 15th. I sent a message through customer care, but have not received a response as yet. I am losing hope now. I am wondering which hosts did receive the invites, and why I have not qualified. It is a mystery to me, and leaves me saddened, and a little desperate.

[Kris105]

  may 15 passed will it be extended against as I have not received any email yet? 

[Kris105]

@Stephanie 

[Roberta2]

Hi @Kris105 

I saw on another thread that they had extended until end of May.

But please be aware that Brian said that even if you tick all the boxes, you may not get an invite. They do not have money to send invite to all superhosts. 

[Helen3]

I think what some hosts on this thread have failed to grasp is that only a very small percentage of hosts who are eligible will be invited to apply. A third of those will be from the US, so if you are outside of the US your chance of being invited are minimal.

From those who have been invited so far, it appear they are inviting those who have made the most money, rather than those in need.

[Michelle53]

@Helen3    I agree the odds of receiving an invite are pretty small - but those odds are pretty small irrespective of one's country, and I don't think it's any easier to get picked in the US than anywhere else. 

Just looking at some data, here's what I found, randomly googling. 

• The countries with the most Airbnb listings are:
  • United States — 660,000 listings
  • France — 485,000 listings
  • Italy — 340,000 listings
  • Spain — 245,000 listings
  • United Kingdom — 175,000 listings
• The top 10 destinations for inbound guests are the United States, France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Australia, Germany, and Portugal.

In 2018, the top 1o countries that saw a direct economic impact from Airbnb based on host income and estimated guest spending were:

1. United States: $33.8 billion
2. France: $10.8 billion
3. Spain: $6.9 billion
4. Italy: $6.4 billion
5. United Kingdom: $5.6 billion
6. Australia: $4.4 billion
7. Canada: $4.3 billion
8. Japan: $3.5 billion

Data found here.

https://ipropertymanagement.com/research/airbnb-statistics.

This, of course, doesn't represent the number of superhosts, or the tenure of superhosts, but of course reflects that the US has the highest number of hosts overall, and contributes the highest percentage to Airbnb's revenue.

On top of that, since Airbnb started in the US, the longest tenured hosts are probably US hosts. The numbers, I'm sure, were adjusted to give folks in other countries a fair shot. 

My guess is that the odds of a US superhost being invited over a host in any other country won't be any better.    

In addition, the percentage of hosts represented here in CC is pretty miniscule compared with the total number of hosts overall (language factors being taken into account, since this is a largely English-speaking forum). So the odds of anyone in this forum getting picked, and reporting back,  are vanishingly small. 

[Helen3]

If you look at the stats @Michelle53 , even though US has the highest number of hosts you are still much more likely to be invited  to apply for the fund as a third, yes a third, of all hosts being invited are from one country; the US.

That is not fair or equitable for hundreds of other countries to have to share in the remaining two thirds of the pot.

Sadly those from developing countries who are actually the ones in most need with little access to benefits, free health or education who are truly dependent on STR income are the ones least likely to benefit.

There are hosts from a variety of countries around the world who post including those whose first language isn't English.

Once again those who shout the loudest and have the most influencer i.e. hosts in Western countries with the highest levels of income are the ones that benefit the most.

[Michelle53]

@Helen3   It's not a country-based model, as in each country gets the same share.   Airbnb is currently, according to the site below, in 191 countries. 

https://muchneeded.com/airbnb-statistics/

 If you divided the grant by 191, that would be $89,000 per country.    

If you said the richest countries should step out, that would automatically be zero dollars for many of the top 10 on the list.  Including US,  France, UK, Australia, Canada, Japan.  Much "wealthier" countries than, say, India or Africa.    

Unless you want to argue that the UK is not a rich country, as opposed to Nigeria.  

Someone Airbnb'ing in Lagos might well be a middle class person, able to provide accommodations of a standard sufficient to host international tourists.

Someone Airbnb'ing in New Delhi, might be a relatively rich person, compared with the national average.

That, to me, doesn't make the person Airbnb'ing in Lagos or New Delhi any different from a host in any other country. And whether one can call a country "rich" or not doesn't  reflect at all on whether a host in that country should be classified as "rich", or any more deserving, than a host in any other country.  As you well know, "riches" are not distributed equally, everywhere.

It's a nice argument on paper to paint the US as a rich country, and therefore less deserving than, say, Vietnam or India.    It doesn't help the US hosts (or any other hosts, for that matter) who are struggling to make ends meet due to this crisis. 

The size of the pot makes any individual's odds witheringly small. 

(I'm, of course, not a superhost, so I'm not in the running, anyway). 

[Helen3]

Sorry it's not true that all countries receive the same. @Michelle53 

Airbnb has confirmed that the US gets a third of all available grant money and the remaining two-thirds are divided amongst the rest of the countries that Airbnb operates in.

My point is that some countries ie US, UK etc have access to grants, mortgage breaks, free education, healthcare, welfare and food benefits which are not available to hosts in poorer, developing countries.

Of course some hosts in developing countries are wealthy, but that is what the grant application is meant to determine.

I think that the grant money should be focused on poorer hosts in countries that don't have access to grants,  welfare benefits, loans etc.